Book Description

This book continues Sinclairs series of volumes attempting to demonstrate that a critical scholar can affirm that the books of the New Testament are true and highly relevant. The Gospel of John presents a special challenge to this series because the gospel claims to give us a trustworthy account of who Jesus was, and yet, critical scholars know that John is not as historically accurate as the other gospels. Johns picture of Jesus -- both of what he said and did -- differs profoundly from that in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. These other gospels are earlier than John and fit much more closely with conditions in Palestine when Jesus lived. Nevertheless, the Gospel of John explicitly asserts both that its principal author knew Jesus personally and that what he wrote is true. Johns Gospel self-consciously attempts to present history from Gods perspective, and this claim is plausible if one accepts the gospels basic understanding of what God did to save the world through Jesus. Thus, the gospel of John is ultimately based on historical facts, but it interprets those facts through a theology. The gospel is not concerned with what people during Jesus lifetime thought he was doing, but with what the church later concluded God had done through Jesus. If we accept this larger interpretative framework, the gospels presentation of what "actually happened" becomes plausible, even compelling.